Craig to become highest-paid Bond

Daniel Craig, seen here with Skyfall co-stars Naomi Harrisand Berenice Marlohe, is set for a financial windfall from the Bond role. Picture: Adam Taylor Source: The Daily Telegraph

DANIEL Craig will become the highest-paid James Bond actor after signing on for two more films as the famous British spy.

Craig, 44, who is in Australia driving the release of Skyfall - his latest outing as 007 - will be paid 31 million pounds ($48 million) to star in two more titles of the 50-year-old franchise, London's Sunday Times reports.

As Skyfall continues to prove itself a box office scorcher around the globe, plans are under way for a 2014 release of the next 007 instalment, followed in 2016 by Craig's fifth turn in the tuxedo.

Craig's pay packet has taken a steep climb since he first appeared as Bond in the 2006 flick Casino Royale, for which he received 3 million pounds, the newspaper reported.

Quantum of Solace, 2008, brought in 7 million pounds for the MI6 tough guy role, while Craig has collected 17 million pounds for his latest appearance.

Craig's 007 predecessor Pierce Brosnan earned up to $US16.5 million ($16 million) for his third and final Bond film, Die Another Day.

Sean Connery, the original Bond, was paid an average of 218,000 pounds for each film, equating to about 3.2 million pounds in 2012 terms.

The same calculations saw Australian George Lazenby paid 468,000 pounds for his one-off appearance, Roger Moore earn a 6.3 million pounds on average per film and Timothy Dalton pocket 5.4 million pounds per film for his efforts.

The latest deal offered to Craig will see him earn a 9.6 million pounds on average for each of his five bond films.

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A quiet triumph for Red Bull

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Bride gives birth at wedding

A bride in France only just made it through the ceremony before she gave birth. Picture: Supplied. Source: Supplied

A BRIDE gave birth only minutes after tying the knot in France, making it more of a "big day" than anticipated.

"It did rather shake us up," admitted Jean-Robert Gachet, mayor of Jallais, after hearing that mother and baby were doing well.

Saturday's ceremony at 11am (7pm AEST) was nearly called off after the heavily pregnant bride had several false alarms, although her due date was July 14.

The bride was "definitely a bit worn out, but we put that down to the stress of the wedding. I tried to hurry it up a bit so that she didn't get too tired," said Mr Gachet.

But only moments after the happy couple said their vows and emerged outside to pose for the traditional photos, while the guests left for the reception, the bride suddenly felt unwell and went back into the town hall.

Emergency services were called, but her waters had already broken and she gave birth to a little boy on the spot at 12.15pm.

"The cry of the new born boy was an emotional moment! It was a first for us and for the emergency services," Mr Gachet said.
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'Red Shirt' to run for Thai government

A THAI protest leader accused of terrorism was released from prison briefly to apply to run in a by-election seen as a key test of the opposition's prospects of success in nationwide polls.

Kokaew Pikulthong, a senior "Red Shirt" involved in the mass rally in Bangkok that ended last month, will stand against incumbent Panich Vikitsreth of the ruling Democrat Party in the July 25 vote in the capital.

A Thai court last week granted permission for Kokaew, the candidate of the main opposition Puea Thai Party, to be released temporarily from Bangkok Remand Prison to register to challenge Panich, a vice foreign minister.

Mr Kokaew, who has not been convicted of any crimes relating to his role in the two-month-long street protest, was later returned to detention, but is expected to seek permission to be released again to campaign for votes.

The Red Shirts' rally, which at its peak attracted up to about 100,000 people demanding immediate elections, sparked outbreaks of violence that left 90 people dead, mostly civilians, and nearly 1900 injured.

Enraged protesters set fire to dozens of major buildings after the army crushed the demonstration by the mostly poor and working class Reds with an assault on their vast fortified encampment in central Bangkok on May 19.

The Red Shirts were campaigning for elections they hoped would oust the government, which they view as undemocratic because it came to power with the backing of the army after a court ruling threw out the previous administration.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva proposed November polls in a bid to end the crippling protests, but shelved the plan because the Reds -- many of whom seek the return of fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra -- refused to disperse.

Mr Abhisit, whose government was elected by parliamentary vote in 2008 and enjoys support among the Bangkok-based elite, must call nationwide elections by the end of next year at the latest.

Many of the Red Shirt leaders are in jail facing terrorism charges for their roles in the unrest. The government has rejected the opposition's call for a state of emergency to be lifted in the capital for the by-election.
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Source: http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/red-shirt-to-run-for-thai-government/story-e6frfku0-1225885303084?from=public_rss

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YO! make my flat into a palace

The concept home shows the robotic bed lifting above the living area. Clearing space below. Picture: YO! Home Source: Supplied

• VIDEO from the unveiling of a new concept home.
• House turns a regular flat into a decked-out city palace.
• Aspires to achieve sleek and simple modern living in a fraction of the size.

NOW there's no need to move out of the city with a new house that promises to turn a humble flat into a palace. The makers of YO! Sushi and YOtel have come up with a brand new concept home which promises to fit nine separate spaces into a one-bedroom flat.

Ever wanted to get more bang for your buck when it comes to apartment living? A new concept home has been released which squeezes more features than most houses into the space the same size as a one bedroom apartment.

Change your furnishings and rooms at the flick of a switch.

At the pull of a wall, the opening of a floor or the press of a button, the space provides: a master bedroom suite; a second bedroom; a sunken sitting room; a cinema; a dining room; an office; a full-sized kitchen; a breakfast room; a bathroom with spa; a party room; a wine cellar and additional hidden storage.

The full-sized bathroom even includes a hot-tub. Picture: YO! Home

Flashbacks of murphy beds and bachelor pads aside, the home aspires to achieve sleek and simple modern living in an area a fraction of the size of a regular house.

The room turns into a casual entertaining area with the flick of a switch. Picture: YO! Home

With just twelve moving parts the space is transformed using engineering technology taken from yacht, automotive design and stage production.

No kitchenette here! The full-sized kitchen and eating area hugs the wall. Picture: YO! Home

According to the home's makers: "The basic principals of counter-weights and moving parts, allowing safe, easy and low-energy movement of large elements such as the bed and wall. More high-tech elements, such as sensors and electronics, will make the concept easy to use and family-proof.

Hidden storage and a wine cellar can be accessed under the floor. Picture: YO! Home

"Influenced by principals of Japanese living, where the simple and adaptable layout of rooms allows many activities to take place in the same space."

The one bedroom flat is transformed into a surprisingly spacious living area. Picture: YO! Home

Pricing for the concept home has not yet been released. Representatives from YO! Home stressed, however, that he does not want it to be so expensive that you could just afford a larger home.

Also that a YO! Home would also come with all of the furniture you would need which would save on overall costs.

"The homes can also be as simple or complex as you wish which affects the price."

We do have to wonder, though, is the champagne included?

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Five apps to get you fit and healthy for summer

You can use a fitness app to help get you off the couch and out running. Picture: Mike Keating Source: Herald Sun

• Use your smartphone to get you ready for summer
• Everything from diet trackers to yoga in your pocket
• Seven apps to take the stress out of your busy day

WITH summer just weeks away, the countdown for that beach-ready body has begun.

But many of us can't afford a personal trainer and, with life increasingly busy, we struggle to get to the gym. But don't worry, there's an app for that.

If you are new to exercise and find it difficult to get started, or simply need help counting the calories, developers have come up with ways to help.

Here?s our guide to the best technology to help get you moving, fit and healthy.

1. C25k - Couch to 5km
Price: Free
Available: iPhone and android
Star rating: ****

Struggling to get off the couch? The C25k app may be just what you need to kick start your exercise routine. It's a really simple running app which helps you slowly build up from not running at all to 5km. You have the option of building up to 5km over eight weeks (30 mins a day, three days a week) or you can go hard and skip straight to the 5km. Voice prompts tell you when to warm up, walk and run. Great if you haven?t done any exercise in a while. Although the user interface is friendly and simple, the app itself is a bit ugly - but that shouldn?t stop you from getting off the couch.

Cool features: C25K supports The Breast Cancer Research Foundation

2. Calorie Counter and Diet tracker by myfitnesspal
Price: Free
Available: iPhone, android, windows phones, blackberry
Star rating: ****

Calorie Counter and Diet Tracker is one of the best in its class. The sign up process is cumbersome, but it is worth it as this app claims to have the largest food database of any calorie counter. The food diary lets you record your food intake, track your weight loss and provides a daily progress report. With more than 30 million users it is one of the few apps that is available and works seamlessly across IOS, Android, Blackberry, Kindle and Windows. It also syncs with the web. It has been cleverly created with an application programming interface (API) so that it can integrate with fitness apps ? automating the process of inputting your exercise. It integrates with popular apps such as runkeeper, fitbit tracker and Endomondo sports, and is leading the way for super apps.

Cool features: Diet with friends and a barcode scanner to add food items to your diary

3. Workout Trainer
Price: Free
Available: iPhone, android, windows phones
My star rating: ***

Now you're up and moving, it is time to get serious. Workout Trainer is a pretty cool all-round training app. It?s essentially a virtual personal trainer with step-by-step audio and visual guides. It?s a pretty busy app, and has some slightly annoying features, such as the cheesy photographs, the professional trainers? voice and the constant ?upgrade now ... buy this?. But, that said, the exercises, instructions and technique tips are really good. It also integrates with Apple TV.

Cool features: Half way through my workout, it tells me to "stay focused". I feel like it knows me.

4. Pocket Yoga
Price: ($2.99)
Available: iPhone and android
My star rating: ***

There are a number of apps for practicing yoga, both free and for pay, but Pocket Yoga is the best as it seems to do it all. It guides you through your yoga practice with visual instructions and relaxing yoga music. It has three different practices, three difficulty levels and three durations. You can play music from your iPod library in place of the default music, and it allows you to log your yoga practices to track progress. Not being able to easily fast forward through a practice is frustrating, but then that is probably the whole point.

Cool feature: The most appealing of the yoga apps, with 27 different sessions

5. Waterlogged
Price: Free
Available: IPhone
My star rating: ****

After all that working out make sure you hydrate. Waterlogged is an alerts and tracking app that reminds you to drink water and tracks your water intact. It really does do exactly what it says on the tin. Just be aware that the alert sounds like someone going to the toilet, which can be slightly embarrassing when sitting in a quiet office.

Cool features: It always gets an awkward giggle when the alert goes off in a meeting

Kelly Slessor is a mobile marketing specialist and director of BanterMob (Mobile Marketing Strategy and Implementation)

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Carr welcomes lawyer's release

Foreign Minister Bob Carr has confirmed Australian lawyer Melinda Taylor is set to be released by 9pm Monday AEST.

Detained Australian lawyer Melinda Taylor has finally been allowed to make contact with her family.

Australian lawyer Melinda Taylor is expected to be released from a Libyan jail today. Source: AFP

UPDATE: THE federal government has welcomed news Libyan authorities are expected to release Australian lawyer Melinda Taylor later today.

A spokesman for Foreign Minister Bob Carr said "all going well" the International Criminal Court lawyer will be released into the custody of Australian officials tonight and will board a plane bound for Europe by midnight.

"We welcome the news that she is likely to be released today," the spokesman told AAP from New York.

"We thank the Libyan authorities for their cooperation."

Australia also thanks the wider international community for their help and support, the spokesman said.

Ms Taylor is likely to be taken to Rome before her onward journey to her home in The Hague.

Ms Taylor, along with three of her ICC colleagues, was detained in the Libyan city of Zintan on June 7 while representing Seif al-Islam, the son of the former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

Libyan officials said she was found carrying documents for Seif that were judged a threat to national security.

Senator Carr has lobbied hard for her release, even visiting the Libyan capital Tripoli last month to press her case.

Ms Taylor was not able to speak to her husband and young daughter until last week.

Senator Carr said Ms Taylor was permitted to call her home in The Hague shortly after a visit by Australia's ambassador David Ritchie.

Mr Carr subsequently spoke to Ms Taylor's Brisbane-based parents John and Janelle, who were relieved to hear she was finally allowed a phone call.

Her parents had pleaded with Libya to release their daughter in time for her toddler's third birthday in July.

The three other detained ICC staffers are from Lebanon, Russia and Spain.

Mr Carr said a week ago that talks in The Hague between the ICC and the Libyan authorities had resulted in "the ICC expressing regret, effectively an apology for any misunderstandings".

The ICC has stopped short of admitting to any wrongdoing but has said it will fully investigate its team's behaviour upon their return.

"When the ICC has completed its investigation, the Court will ensure that anyone found responsible for any misconduct will be subject to appropriate sanctions," it added in a statement issued last month.

The ICC wants to try Seif al-Islam, 39, for crimes against humanity during his father's rule, which came to an abrupt end last year.

Tripoli insists he should be tried locally and filed on May 1 a motion challenging the ICC's jurisdiction to put him on trial in The Hague.

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